Film Review - Solo: A Star Wars Story (12)

Summaries from two of the internet's best movie sites sum up perfectly what's going on with "Solo: A Star Wars Story"; and I don't just mean the plot-

Empire Online

"After young “Scrumrat” Han (Alden Ehrenreich) escapes the slums of Corellia, he vows to one day return for Qi’ra (Emilia Clarke), the love he left behind. After, that is, he’s somehow managed to get himself a ship and make a heap of money. Along the way, he takes up with a gang of criminals, sets out to pull off a huge heist, and makes a big, furry friend."

IMDB.com

"During an adventure into the criminal underworld, Han Solo meets his future co-pilot Chewbacca and encounters Lando Calrissian years before joining the Rebellion."

These are both accurate summaries of the plot written by two well respected sites for the same film but they've taken two completely different approaches. The Empire Review (excellently written by Dan Jolin) writes the summary as if "Solo" is a stand-alone film with no connection to a wider history or narrative, where as the IMDB summary (writer unknown) writes as if everyone knows this is a prequel that leads into the rest of the "Star Wars" universe, particularly Episodes IV-IX. And this is exactly the tight-rope the film-makers are trying to walk - serve the existing fans with a few nods & winks and greater story depth about one of the most beloved characters of the last 50 years whilst introducing a whole new audience with a stand-alone story.

And for the most part, it works really well. "Solo" is an exciting action-adventure story from start to finish with charismatic performances from all involved and a decent script that flows well and doesn't feel like lines or beats are being shoe-horned in as obvious "fan service".

Instead, the references and connections are left mostly for the audience to pick-up and enjoy naturally on their own - the introduction of Chewbacca and gambling with a young Lando Calrissian (very well played by Donald Glover) are particular highlights.

However, the very nature of this being a franchise prequel carries its own baggage and pitfalls. Yes, it’s fun to see how Han met Chewie, but do we really need to know how he got his name, especially when the answer is as lame as it is? And do we really need to see Han’s “first love", or does it just dilute the power of his famous romance with Princess Leia? There’s almost too much room for disappointment for existing fans of the main “Skywalker saga” and there’s no relevance to the references for the audience with no knowledge of the rest of the films. On a certain level, it feels like this film should have been made 30 years ago as a treat for the original fans and that new “Star Wars Stories” should only use original characters in the same galaxy, like “Rogue One”.

In short, “Solo” is a lot of fun with much to enjoy, just know that it’s more like an album filler than a number one hit single.

Rating 3/5

Thank you for taking the time to read my review of "Solo: A Star Wars Story". Whether you agree or not, I hope you've enjoyed it :)

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